







东山高卧 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to live in secluded comfort”. Declining official appointments and leading a life of ease. Literally, “Lie high on East Mountain”.
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the wise man Xie An resolutely resigned from his official post and retired to Dongshan (East Mountain) near Kuaiji. Literati often came to visit him, drinking and composing poetry with him, never concerning himself with court affairs.
When Former Qin invaded from the south, the Eastern Jin Dynasty was in grave danger. Xie An, at a critical moment, accepted the appointment to become the chancellor of Eastern Jin. He led his army to successfully defeat the Former Qin forces at the Battle of Fei River, and then seized the opportunity to lead a northern expedition to reclaim lost territories.

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Open the tool →东山高卧 (dōng shān gāo wò) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to live in secluded comfort”.
东山高卧 is pronounced dōng shān gāo wò in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 东山高卧 means “Lie high on East Mountain”. It is used to mean “to live in secluded comfort”.
东山高卧 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
比喻隐居不仕,生活安闲。